Tributes paid to cricket legends

Cricket Legends of Barbados welcomed yet another Knight to the cricketing ranks at a reception at the Legends’ Fontabelle headquarters Friday night.

Legendary West Indies fast bowler Charlie Griffith was conferred with a Knighthood in Barbados in this island’s 51st Independence anniversary honours.

Paying tribute to Sir Charles, director and mentor at the Cricket Legends of Barbados, Wallace Griffith, retraced the steps of the man from Pie Corner, St Lucy, who went on to break cricketing records internationally, though his cricketing career came to an untimely halt.

Griffith said while Sir Charles was breaking all the records, “there was an ongoing anti-Griffith campaign to discredit him”.

And Griffith countered: “A bowler deserves the right to perform and express his talent in the right environment that is free of hostility and prejudices.

“Sir Charles was openly denied that right,” Wallace stated while addressing guests who included other West Indies cricketing greats Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Everton Weekes and Sir Wes Hall.

Wallace spoke about Sir Charles, the Barbados Cricket Association administrator and team selector; the cricket coach; the businessman; the friend.

Friday night’s event was a surprise party organised by the staff of the Cricket Legends of Barbados, the Barbados Lumber Company and Brancker’s to honour Sir Charles on the award of a Knighthood and Rawle Brancker, a Cricket Legends member and former Barbados player who toured with the West Indies team. Brancker recently celebrated his 80th birthday.

Paying tribute to his father on behalf of the staff of Brancker’s, Rawle Brancker’s son Adrian said: “our boss, my dad, has done much in the past 80 years that is cause for much admiration.”

Brancker is former chairman of Cricket World Cup 2007.

“We believe that these two men have done so much for Barbados in business, in sports . . . ,” said master of ceremonies, former West Indies opener Desmond Haynes. (GC)